Saturday, March 30, 2019

Hands Across America

I just saw the movie Us today and now I can't get that "Hands Across America" song out of my mind. The song isn't actually played in the movie, but I looked it up on You Tube and watched the video. Clearly, that was a mistake. If you've seen the movie, you know that whole Hands Across America thing from 1986 is a big part of the film. For you kids who weren't alive in 1986 or don't remember it, some guy put together a charity thing and wanted people across America to hold hands in unity and, lo and behold, people did it. This is the kind of thing that would never work today, but back in the 1980s, people were big on things like this. We had Live Aid and We Are the World. People actually came together to raise money for various causes like feeding starving people in Africa. There's too much cynicism and division in the country today for something like this to work now, but back then, this kind of thing was huge. And there was no Internet or anything, so people organized things the old fashioned way, through advertising on television, radio, and print media.

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Weird Gait

I'm on a shoe/foot theme right now, so just bear with me. As I walk the streets of the Chicago loop to and from my day job, I often notice the people walking around me and, lately, I've noticed that a lot of those people seem to have a weird gait. I see a lot of people around town who are either pigeon-toed, bowlegged, or just have some kind of odd gait. Most of the people I see with these issues are younger people. I assume this is because pediatricians now don't recommend that kids with gait problems use measures to correct their gait. Back in the old days, kids would wear those metal braces on their legs and feet to straighten things up, but I guess that's not happening now. Some people have such gait issues that I wonder how they manage to walk from one block to the next. I keep waiting for their feet to collide and send them falling to the ground. The next time I'm in the company of a doctor, I'm going to ask about these gait issues because I'm concerned and I'd like to know if it's true that kids aren't receiving the help they need to correct gait problems because the correction is frowned upon now.

I remember years ago when I was working my way through college as a secretary and a woman in our office had a daughter who was born with a twisted foot (or something). The woman's husband blamed HER for the kid's problems, like she sabotaged her baby in the womb or something. He was an idiot and a suspected wife-beater, so I wasn't surprised by his attempts to blame his wife for their child's foot problems. What an idiot. In any case, back then, the daughter was receiving some kind of medical procedures to correct her foot problem. I don't think she had to wear braces, but I think she had surgery or something. In any case, the problem was fixed. The kid wasn't left to limp around with a bum foot or left to have a weird gait.

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Comfort Shoes

In my last blog post, I wrote about having to buy shoes last week in NY because the ones I'd worn weren't cutting it. (And the ones I'd worn were okay for walking, but not NYC walking.) As I get older, my feet seem to be aging at an even faster rate. I never used to have foot problems and now I seem to have them all the time. From plantar fasciitis to plain old (I suspect) arthritis, my feet are in pain much more than they used to be. I no longer wear heels or any other shoes that aren't comfortable. My feet can't take it! I need shoes that I can walk in without feeling like I need to sit down after half an hour. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I go full orthopedic in the shoe department. Oy! I'm not a senior, but my feet feel like they're ready to apply for Medicare.



Friday, March 15, 2019

Tough Trip

I went to New York briefly this week for my day job and had an awful time. No time to do anything fun, no shows, no nothing. Just work and a lot of walking that caused me to have to buy new shoes while I was there because the footwear I'd worn wasn't adequate. I normally enjoy going back to New York, but not this time. My issues had nothing to do with the city itself; I was just too stressed about other things to truly have a good time. Then the bad weather in Chicago yesterday delayed my flight home. Oy! It was a tough trip and I'm glad to be back home.

In other news, are people really surprised about the college cheating scandal? I heard about this while I was in NY earlier this week. Do people really not understand how the world works??? Rich kids have been getting a leg up to go to the best colleges since...forever??? (Yet people, including some who worked the system for their own kids, complain about affirmative action. Give me a break!) For anyone who really thought only the best and the brightest were going to the best colleges my advice is this: you need to get out more.


Sunday, March 10, 2019

Put Your Hands Together for Sally

I go through these music phases from time to time and right now I'm in a Sade phase. I realized this weekend that I don't have Sade's debut album Diamond Life in my CD collection. I used to have the album back in the day, but I never upgraded to CD for that one. My mistake! Thankfully, I was able to get a copy from one of the local libraries. I'd been listening to Sade songs via You Tube and came across a song from Diamond Life called "Sally" that I'd totally forgotten about. That led me to revisit the New York Magazine article where a writer listed Sade's songs in order of greatness and, lo and behold, poor "Sally" is listed at the bottom along with "Cherry Pie" and "Maureen." Say what now?? The writer clearly has an issue with the songs on Diamond Life that weren't big hits like "Hang On to Your Love." (I've complained about this list before but I felt the need to complain about it again because it annoys me.) I understand musical taste is subjective, but to rank great Sade songs like "Sally" and "Cherry Pie" at the bottom of the barrel while putting overplayed songs like "The Sweetest Taboo" and "Paradise" in the top ten just shows that the writer doesn't truly get Sade. The writer isn't a true fan but merely a poseur. (Sorry, but it had to be said.)

But back to "Sally." Yes, it's a little preachy, but it's also largely great. The chorus alone (complete with the accompanying saxophone part) is amazing. Sade doesn't have to tell me to put my hands together for Sally. I'm already doing it!

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Hobo Shenanigans

I ride the L to and from work now and, when the weather gets really cold like it is now, the train seems to be overrun with hobos. During my commute home today, one hobo went crazy and started cursing everyone and causing a ruckus. Finally, one woman was fed up with his shenanigans and got on the intercom to alert the conductor about the problems in Car 2. That just made the hobo even more incensed. (Sadly, this was all happening between stations so we couldn't even stop and put the bum out.) The conductor got on the loud speaker and announced that the police would meet the train at the next station and get the crazy guy. When we got to the station, the crazy guy grabbed his milk crate full of stuff and ran off the train to hop on yet another train across the platform. By the time the CTA people arrived, he was gone.

I have no issue with the homeless riding the rails when the weather is cold outside, like it is now, as long as those folks don't bother anyone else, take up multiple seats, and/or stink up the car. I understand it's cold outside and the homeless can find refuge on the L when we have frigid temperatures. However, they need to understand that public transit isn't just for them. If they can't sit quietly and mind their own business and become disruptive or threatening to others, then they need to be removed from the train. I know many of these folks are mentally ill and that adds yet another dimension to their many problems. In a perfect world, these folks would receive help for their mental problems, but our world isn't perfect. Too many people fall through the cracks of society and we're left with the ones who go cray-cray on the train.

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Lighter

This week has been filled with one bad news story after another for me. On top of the usual bad news revolving around our so-called government the on-going shenanigans of Donny T. and the Funky Bunch, there's been bad news on my day job with friends being told they're about to be out of work. Being let go from a job is rarely ever easy. I've been there myself and it's hard to try and pick up and get moving again after such a blow. It's even harder when you're older and have less employment opportunities. I've told colleagues I'd probably end up working in a totally different field if I had to change jobs now because I'd have a better chance of getting hired. Some fields are just more open to hiring someone who isn't 20 or 30 years old.

But, in spite of the bad news this week, I can say there was some good news too. At least now, as we inch towards spring and summer, I've noticed that the days are getting longer. I no longer have to leave for work and come home from work in the dark. It's lighter outside and, for me, that's a huge improvement.